POSTPONED: Live Nation’s ‘Return To Live’ Concert
Live Nation’s much-heralded “Return To Live” concert, which was intended to celebrate the return of live music to major venues in Germany, has been canceled due to a rise in coronavirus cases.
The concert, headlined by Bryan Adams along with The BossHoss, Sarah Connor, Rea Garvey and Joris was planned for Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf on Sept 4th, but has been pushed back to “late autumn.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the arena said that “despite comprehensive health, hygiene, and safety program, organizers felt compelled to cancel the event in view of the increasing number of infections and subsequent capacity restrictions that were imposed on the event.”
The statement went on to note that more than 7,000 tickets had been sold for the 12,000-capacity show, which will now be refunded, including advanced booking fees.
Announced on August 7th, the concert was intended to signal the end of a 5-month shutdown of large-scale public concerts in Germany.
“The fans, artists, and crew, as well as the entire music industry, have been eagerly awaiting this moment” Live Nation Germany CEO Marek Lieberberg said in the initial announcement. “We are opening the door for the return of live music which now has the opportunity to resume after the unpredicted intermission. We know that fans are enthusiastic to experience live music once again, and we’re excited to be able to bring them that opportunity.”
The postponement comes as German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the ban on large-scale public events has been extended until 2021 as part of a series of measures to combat the spread of the virus.
The measures include mandatory mask usage in most public areas with monetary fines imposed for violations.
Daily infection numbers in Germany in recent weeks have risen to levels not seen since the end of April.
